Synthesis and immunestimulating activity of lactobacilli-originated polysaccharide-polymeric microparticle conjugates

The design and synthesis of biomaterials capable of activating the immune system are of interest in immunology-related fields because of their ability to tune up the immune defenses of the host. Lactobacilli are a major constituent of normal human indigenous flora, and some specific strains are known to activate the immune system of the host as probiotics. In this study, we first fabricated novel biohybrid materials in which lactobacilli (L. casei strain Shirota, LcS)-originated polysaccharide-peptidoglycan complexes (PS-PGs) are conjugated with polymeric microparticles (MPs). PS-PGs conjugated onto polymeric MPs surfaces bound its specific antibody, suggesting that PS-PGs kept their original molecular recognition ability. The PS-PGs-based hybrid MPs with an appropriate density of conjugated PS-PGs effectively induced high levels of IL-12 production from macrophages without cytotoxicity. These results suggest that LcS-originated PS-PGs could be available bio-originated materials for developing novel biomaterials capable of activating the immune system in a safe manner.